Hi everyone,

I'm new here, also new to Lancers. My girlfriend decided to buy one, it's almost been a year owning it. I'm no mechanic however I am somewhat inclined.

Car: 2009 Lancer Fastback
Issue: She drove it one day and overheated. Not sure how but the coolest tank was empty. Added coolant and ran fine. Took it in for inspection (plus tune-up and oil change), reset the warning light. No issues and passed. I drove it for two days for work (20 miles each day) without any problems. Sat for one day and went to start it up for a car washing and less then 5 minutes the same indicator came on again.
Checked: The coolant res. (Full), radiator (full), check hoses in/out, fine, checked OBD (clear), check for fans to engage (they work). The engine gets hot but does not overheat.
I would appreciate all inputs and thoughts. This car has been a huge pain in my butt since day 1. I will have access to the vehicle, however I will not be able to do the repairs myself since the apartment complex does not allow for tenants to work on their vehicles in the parking lot.
Thank you everyone in advance.

 

One thing to check is the thermostat, it opens/closes based on the temperature of the coolant.

Sometimes it can get stuck open and cars struggle to heat up, but if it sticks closed then you wouldn't be able to get the fresh "cold" coolant from the radiator into the engine.

One possibility is that by running super low on coolant and over-temping the engine, you somehow damaged the thermostat and it isn't working properly now.

 

Thanks, I will be installing a new one tomorrow. Appreciate your reply.

 

Did the engine 'feel' hot? Hard to describe - but I 'know' how hot my engine 'feels' when I open the hood after a drive...


Is the temp gauge level 1/2 way and the 'overheat' light comes on? Could be a bad sensor/wiring.

 

Considering it was just turned on for a couple minutes, it was insufficient time for the engine to warm up or even become hot to throw an error. Previously, it gets hot to the normal heat, Guage gets half way and the fans turn on as they should.

I feel doubtful that the Thermastat is the culprit in this scenario. I will find out more Monday when I have the time.

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yep, that supports a bad sensor or wiring.